Feldemoves

Foundations

feldemoves awareness through movement April 26, 2023 Leave a reply

A friend of mine has just bought a fixer-upper, in a great location. Some people thinks she’s gone a bit crazy. But this move is largely in response to a tragic event in her life last year. Of course the first thing she did was to get the building inspector to check the foundations. Life-changing events can make us question our values, shed our skin and start something new.

Excessiveness, expansion can occur in times of ease or abundance. I remember a time in my life which was abundant. Its lovely to have enough, don’t get me wrong, but I became a lavish shopaholic. I feel like those times were not meant to last…

After my divorce settlement I went from being comfortable to struggling financially. I remember selling my Omega ladies 9ct gold watch at the pawn shop (now do you believe me about being a shopaholic). I cut down on memberships and had to juggle bills and work out how to feed my daughter on $10 a day.

So when constraints are put in place we have to adapt, sometimes creatively. These constraints, either chosen or placed on us can be limited space, time or money. This is not a new idea but it has been called `stretching’, being resourceful, using what you have, rather than `chasing’ for more, or being excessive. Chasing vs stretching has been coined by Scott Sonenshein. Stretching is seen as a better way to live than chasing, better for the environment, cheaper and more satisfying.

Drew and I are moving into a much smaller space. The studio space at the back of our house is being converted into a 1 bedroom apartment. I have been culling household items whilst learning about Marketplace. We have found a miniature versions of kitchen goods. Yes there is such a thing as a 45cm wide dishwasher. I am learning how to stretch rather than chase. I do think humans thrive when we have to adapt. I will let you know how we go sharing a 60m2 space.

In Australia consumer spending and excess has slowed after 10 successive interest rate rises (SMH 28/4/23). I’m sorry for those doing it hard. If you are missing your Feldenkrais 1:1 sessions because you have had to tighten your belt, I have a new series coming up- 10 weeks of classes which are very affordable.

We will be exploring our earliest movements, your own foundations. It’s a bit like checking under your own house to see if some gentle restumping is in order. This is `stretching’ not `chasing’ I assure you! I have taught this series before. It is a grounding re-examination, an immersive journey. You will lie like a baby, roll into sitting and even do some crawling. If you look at babies they have long backs with no tension, they are flexible and curious. That will be you!

Re-explore your earliest movements: Feldenkrais Method®

We are born as curious explorers filled with a sense of potential. We literally feel our way through the essential steps of development. The Feldenkrais Method approach helps to rejuvenate those early learning skills, using unique movement sequences to improve awareness, unravel harmful habits and regulate your nervous system.

This 10 week `Awareness through movement®’ series explores the earliest movements of life and the unfolding of developmental processes which lead from one function to the next such as:

·      Baby pose to rolling

·      Rolling to sitting

·      Sitting to crawling

You will be guided through these lessons which encourage somatic awareness, curiosity and fun!

This series runs for 10 weeks

May 2- July 4

Tuesdays 6:00-7:00pm

The 10 week block costs $170.

The Fourth Floor Level 4/65 Murray St

https://thefourthfloor.punchpass.com/classes/12933304

The gift of okayness

feldemoves mindfulness, self-compassion April 18, 2023 Leave a reply

Have you ever thought I should be feeling happier in my life? Perhaps you have been plagued by the sensation of feeling flat for a few days? Have you got a tendency to keep busy, or do you ensure there are things in your life to look forward to?

All of us have to manage our mental health to some degree. Whether it is through exercise, diet, sleep or talking to loved ones. Seeking professional help is essential if your mood is impacting on your ability to function in everyday life.

The positive thinking and gratitude movement has been around for a few decades. In fact the happiness and positive thinking industry is estimated to be worth US $11 billion a year.

I suspect most of us have found positive thinking and gratitude practice helpful at times because we do have a tendency in our society to ask, “What is wrong?” rather than, “What is right?” Shifting our focus to what is going well can change our thinking for the better, which can also shift our mood.

Do you remember when positive affirmations became popular in the New Age movement? Saying affirmations like “My life is perfect in every way!” felt like I was trying to con myself.

Some people can find gratitude practice difficult too. There are aspects of life that do make us sad and angry and sometimes no amount of gratitude practice will remove these feelings. Pushing ourselves to be grateful or positive could be a type of suppression of our our problems which can lead to more distress (Psychology Today)

It can be a slippery slope making happiness your number one goal in life. Yet the happiness and positive thinking industry helps perpetuate the fantasy that happiness is a realistic goal (Euba:2019)

Most of us know, perhaps painfully, that happiness is a transient state. Some experts say there is no neurological basis for happiness in the brain because it is a`human construct’ and even less dependable than depression for helping us to survive. Depression encourages caution and rumination that is biologically advantageous in dangerous times (Euba: 2019)

Despite this, most of us still aspire to be happy most of the time. Of course we do because it feels so good.

I love the poem by William Blake on the transience of happiness:

 

“He who binds to himself to joy

Does the winged life destroy;

But he who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity’s sun rise.”

 

Learning to accept what is, rather than what should be, is powerful. If you are anything like me you have probably spent a great deal of your life struggling with what is, rather than accepting it.

A few years ago during Covid, I received an online teaching by a Buddhist monk (I am sorry his name eludes me). He was talking about this idea of okayness. In other words, not aspiring for happiness and being satisfied with being okay. Is this sounding too beige and mediocre?

A few months ago I had been feeling a bit down for a few days and I was getting worried that something was wrong in my life. It was at that moment, I recalled the teaching on okayness. So I asked myself “Am I okay?”  And after a moment my answer came back, “Yes. I am okay.” I could feel the weighty striving for happiness float away and my heart swelled with the confidence that I would be alright.

Perhaps like you, I have had the habit of nudging myself to look on the positive side of life too much. It seems like something has been left out in the happiness and positive thinking movement. 11 million dollars is a good reason to perpetuate the happiness myth.

Being okay is empowering. It helps you to acknowledge the positive and negative aspects of your life. All expectations can drop away, even if it’s just momentarily.

Difficulties are part of life and if we can take a step back with a knowingness that despite the ups and downs we can find some equilibrium. When we accept that we are okay, maybe there is more room to kiss the joy as it flies.

References

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy

https://humanpsychology.com.au/expectations-the-real-hapiness-killer/

Euba, Rafael, 2019. https://theconversation.com/hu…

The power of letting go

feldemoves alpha brain state, breathing, improve mind and body connection, mindfulness, Movement through awareness August 1, 2021 3 Comments

Most of us have an idea about how we want our lives to go but when things are not going to plan, finding acceptance can be difficult. If we are making new plans, it can be like stepping out onto a precipice. Moving out of our comfort zone is bound to bring up some fears and uncertainty. 

 

We all need a feeling of security, familiarity and safety in our lives. But could a time come where familiarity and security become a habit so firmly entrenched that it becomes difficult to move somewhere different in our lives and we start to feel stuck?

 

It’s not easy to see how much we try to control our lives and the people around us. Most of us feel more comfortable when outer circumstances fit our view of the world. There certainly are behaviors that will increase the likelihood of our lives going to plan such as eating well, caring for others, being driven and organised in carving out your life. Still how many times have we seen our lives and others lives, descending into chaos due to unexpected illness or loss of loved ones, or a job.

 

Letting go is something we are strongly encouraged to practise because of world-wide events. The world around us is certainly changing. Technology is advancing at a pace in which many people and our environment cannot keep up with. Our world-altering health pandemics have irreversibly changed our way of life. It is a harsh truth that we don't know what turn our lives are going to take. We can increase the probability of a good life and security but it's no guarantee.  From my own experience grieving is like a slow process of letting go of a loved one that has passed away. So we may be forced to let go through a process of grieving or we can practise letting go, giving up control and creating space a little each day. 

 

Letting go of our expectations of how things should be can make the changes in our lives easier to cope with. We can fearfully cling to the past, security or fixed ideas or we can be open to new possibilities. I love the idea of learning to step back, create space for others, as some people might say getting out of our own way. Stephen Nachmanovitch is an improviser who wrote the book ‘The art of is: improvising as a way of life’. He describes the process of ‘stepping-back and creating space’ in movement and musical improvisation as analogous to how we teach ourselves as individuals and as partners in relationships to be human beings. He observes that wonderful things happen in the creative space when he as a teacher nurtures rather than leads or controls.

 

Beta brain waves range from 13-40 HZ and are associated with everyday activity. Beta brain wave frequencies in the highest range are associated with the stress that is endemic in our world.  Wanting to be in control is more likely to create stress and many believe control of the outside world is impossible anyway.

 

In contrast, mindfulness meditation has been linked to lower-frequency alpha waves in a study by Cahn and Polich in 2006. Alpha brain waves range from 8-12 HZ are dominant during quietly flowing thoughts, rest, calmness, mind/body integration and learning (Brainwaves Neurotherapy). Methods such as `Awareness through movement’ in Feldenkrais produce similar alpha states which help improve the mind and body connection and learning. 

 

Isla Klasing was a CEO of KFC in Germany in 2016 who struggled significantly after a horse-riding accident.  During her long recovery she had no choice but to give up some control in her life, and not without difficulty. She describes how rather than suffering, her team blossomed, which increased KFCs’ marketplace success significantly. Klasing said learning the power of letting go also made her happier in her personal life.

According to Klasing, the power of letting go has three parts. First, trusting that benefits can come from letting go, secondly, switching off our phone/digital-detox gives us the freedom to let go of the outside world and third, adopting breathing / mindfulness techniques) to quieten your busy mind.

 

We have all had the experience of having change forced upon us and the discomfort it can bring. Twelve years ago I was separating from my first husband. It was December and some girlfriends and I were camping on the North-East Coast of Tasmania. One morning I woke up early and decided to have a short meditation in the bush. As I sat there I was looking up at a tree nearby. I noticed this tree had a branch that was falling away. It was a difficult time emotionally, so I could see myself in the broken, messed-up branch. I can still remember the image of that branch. 

 

Then I noticed the tree as a whole and could see its potential and beauty. I could see my life journey as being like the trees’ journey. Even though it was a time of upheaval I would keep growing, and have new branches. The scar of that broken branch could heal over. It was the beginning of my ability to let go of my marriage and know that my identity and value extended beyond the life I knew at the time. My ex-husband and I are amicable to this day.

 

So letting go is tied to renewal, knowing we can move beyond our perceptions about the life and our identity we are holding now.  Plus we might be surprised by the future.

 

Self-compassion essentials: finding self-worth that lasts

feldemoves awareness through movement, improve mind and body connection, parasympathetic nervous system, self-compassion May 1, 2021 1 Comment

How to bring more self-compassion into your life

We have all got an inner critic. Sometimes it grabs the wheel and won’t let go.  But you can become the driver by learning how to attend to your mind, calm down your body’s stress responses and live according to your values. How? There are a range of ways. Here are some that I have found work well.

 

Meeting your inner critic

We are so conditioned to be critical of ourselves. Particularly women. And there is trillions of dollars riding on this. La Prarie of Switzerland sells an anti-aging face treatment – called Haute-Rejuvenatation Protocol. It’s $2,915 for 24mls. Apart from the price tag, the bad news is that research has shown that when you criticise yourself you are triggering the fight/flight or sympathetic response in your nervous system which sends the stress hormone cortisol into your blood (Kristina Neff). 

Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan monk that went to America in the 1970’s said a lot of chaos happens in the world simply because people don’t appreciate themselves. We have a myth in society that we must be hard on ourselves to get things done. But rather than motivating us, self-criticism can shut us down, depress us and even cause us to self-sabotage and not reach for our goals. I remember one morning recently I was planning on heading to the gym. I weighed myself and the scales went in the wrong direction. Instead of a logical response, which would include a usual gym session, the reactive thought was I’m not going now. My inner critic almost dragged me down that day, encouraging me to give up. 

Self worth vs Self compassion

If we are  in a position to successfully navigate mainstream norms we can gain self-worth,  a highly valued quality in society. Self-worth is often associated with self-confidence, competition and comparison. It’s  measured by being hard-working, successful at work, attractive and wealthy.  But there is a risky element to measuring ourselves against these external expectations.  Life is impermanent and it is possible you  will lose sporting prowess, your job, your wealth, your motivation, your looks. Research has also shown that comparison to others whom you perceive are doing better can lower your self-esteem. One study showed  some individuals who struggle with identity are more prone to comparison on social media platforms, and construct a false-self which increases emotional difficulties (Bergargna and Tartaglia). There are ways we can create a more long-lasting or meaningful  happiness.

Values

Many of us would agree that having comfort, pleasure, security and good health brings some happiness. But values are more personal. How important are  things like personal freedom, helping others or personal fitness to you? Our values profile helps us understand exactly what makes us unique and gives you a clearer pathway to follow in your life. Values come from within the individual rather than socially acceptable ideas of what we should aspire to. There are online tests to help us understand exactly what our core values are. Acceptance Commitment Therapy is a form of psychology which says values are at the heart of finding happiness. 

 

Self-compassion

When we are moving towards our values we are being more self-compassionate or understanding of ourselves and needs.  If your core value is family and you are lashing out at your loved ones on a regular basis you are moving away from your values and everyone is unhappy.  If your core value is personal development and you are doing 20 hours overtime a week in a stressful job without a moment for yourself.  You would not be honouring your values and needs and therefore not being self-compassionate.

Prioritising

Could you carve out a free hour a day?  Because once you know your values, you know which direction you need to head in. Nate Terrel in his book `Achieving self-compassion: giving yourself the gifts of happiness and inner peace’ suggests that the happiest people have honed the skill of prioritising their  activities so they can spend maximum time doing fulfilling activities. So once you know what you want to do, you can choose to spend time moving towards those values that make you feel fulfilled and happy. Self-awareness gives you the choice to act in different ways.  Just being aware is the first liberating step.

 

The observer and the critic

Developing the ability to be the observer of one’s own thoughts is called metacognition. Terms like mindfulness and awareness have been used to death in recent years but this doesn’t make them any less significant. To really notice what is happening in our mind and body can assist us enormously. If we are not observing what’s happening in our mind, how can we meet the critic and catch those harsh words we might be receiving? How can we recognise when we are acting in alignment with our values and goals or not? If we are not mindful how can we practise a more gentle approach to ourselves? Most importantly we miss the sensations and potential of each moment where the only true happiness can lie.

 

Basic goodness

There are many Mindbody techniques such as yoga,  meditation, martial arts and Feldenkrais.  These methods ease your body into a physiological state different to the cortisol-fueled fight/flight state. They allow the self-observer to take the driver’s seat. This is an act of self-compassion. By relaxing into your parasympathetic rest/digest state you decrease your stress responses and are more likely to witness the basic goodness in yourself.  Philosophies such as Buddhism understand that  everyone has basic goodness.  If being fundamentally okay within ourselves was more common would fewer people strive for status or wealth  to prove self-worth? Perhaps it is the dissatisfied self-critic that causes the high-levels of stress and mental health issues  in our society.  Taking the drivers’ seat and having the self-awareness to live according to our values can  keep our self critic in-check. The knowledge and growth  that comes from calmness,  self-compassion and self-observation is not something that can be stripped away from us. It is dependable and will help to make your life happier which will filter out to loved ones and maybe further than you think.

What are some ways that you have been self-compassionate to yourself? How has this impacted on your life? It would be great to hear from you in the comments below.

 

Resources

Bergagna, E., & Tartaglia, S. (2018). Self-Esteem, Social Comparison, and Facebook Use. Europe’s journal of psychology, 14(4), 831–845. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v14i4.1592

 

Russ Harris: ACT Made Simple An Easy-To-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

 

 Kristin Neff: The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive 2018

 

Kristin Neff:  Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive Hardcover coming in 28 September 2021

Chogyam Trungpa- Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior 1984

 

Do the `Pyschology Today Value Profile’ Test – 50 minutes

 

The Dirty Hand Print

feldemoves Movement through awareness, Uncategorized December 17, 2018 Leave a reply

All dancers know the feeling of freedom, when you confidently dance the steps embedded in your muscle memory, enjoying the music and the feeling of being in present moment. When I was a bit older, I did improvisational dance, where there are no memorised steps. I was stunned by the multitude of choices that presented themselves in any given moment. It took a great deal of courage to trust my chosen movement decisions and responses in a performance setting.

It was interesting to see how this improvisation experience used to flow into my everyday life. Improvisation reminded me that in any given moment in our lives there are different ways that we can move or act. It highlighted to me that we must habitually act throughout much of our life, forgetting about all the choices that we have. We might get out of our car in the same sequence. Or our manner of walking may not change, whether we are moving on sand or concrete.

My husband is a builder, and often he comes home filthy. On our tiled bathroom wall, we both noticed a dirty handprint that had been built up over time. I asked him is that where you lean when you are removing your clothes for your shower after work? He said yes. What’s curious is the handprint built up in the same spot.

It’s efficient to have habits, we can’t be constantly checking our every move. But overtime when these habits become repetitive our bodies can become tired and worn from being held in similar positions and moving in a limited range.

Simply having the awareness that we are making a choice, in each moment, and don’t always have to do things the same way is enough to provide a sense of freedom.

Moshe Feldenkrais said, “When you know what you are doing, you can do what you want.”

Luckily Feldenkrais is not as confronting as improvisational dance. In my first Feldenkrais workshop, it felt like I was being handed the possibility to move in ways I had never done before. As a person who had done many different types of dance and movement, it felt like a rare gift.

In an `Awareness through movement’ lesson you are safely guided to experience a range of movement options. Feldenkrais gives you a map of uncharted territory. It’s a map of you. It’s the ultimate adventure to explore places you have never been before. Like any travel, it wakes you up, makes you feel different, and afterwards you can experience the world differently.

If you are curious and like an adventure with an internal feeling of freedom, then learning about a new range of movement options through the Feldenkrais Method can be very rewarding.